This invention relates to a connector which is mateable with a mating connector along an upper-lower direction.
For example, this type of connectors are disclosed in JP 4454651 B (Patent Document 1) and JP 4574692B (Patent Document 2), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Referring to FIG. 21, Patent Document 1 discloses an embodiment of a connector 92 that is mateable with a mating connector 94 along an upper-lower direction. The connector 92 comprises a housing 920 and a plurality of terminals 930 held by the housing 920. The housing 920 has a central projecting portion 922. Each of the terminals 930 has a resilient portion (spring portion) 932 and a lock projection (abutment portion) 934 provided on the spring portion 932. When the connector 92 is not mated with the mating connector 94 (not shown), the abutment portion 934 is apart from a wall surface 924 of the central projecting portion 922, and the spring portion 932 is resiliently deformable. While the mating connector 94 is removed from the connector 92, the abutment portion 934 is brought into abutment with the wall surface 924. This abutment prevents coming-off and plastic deformation of the terminal 930.
Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, Patent Document 2 discloses a first embodiment of a connector 96 that is mateable with a mating connector 98 along an upper-lower direction. The connector 96 comprises a housing 960 and a plurality of terminals 970 held by the housing 960. The housing 960 has a central wall 962. Each of the terminals 970 has a mating portion (spring portion) 972 and a lock portion (abutment portion) 974 provided on the spring portion 972. When the connector 96 is not mated with the mating connector 98 (not shown), the abutment portion 974 is apart from a restriction surface (wall surface) 964 of the central wall 962, and the spring portion 972 is resiliently deformable. Referring to FIG. 23, while the mating connector 98 is removed from the connector 96, the abutment portion 974 is brought into abutment with the wall surface 964. This abutment prevents coming-off and plastic deformation of the terminal 970.
According to the coming-off prevention mechanism of each of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, while the mating connector is removed upward from the connector, an edge surface of the abutment portion is moved in a lateral direction perpendicular to the upper-lower direction to be brought into abutment with the wall surface, so that a friction force between the edge surface of the abutment portion and the wall surface prevents coming off and plastic deformation of the terminal. However, in order to move the abutment portion laterally by a necessary distance so that the abutment portion is brought into abutment with the wall surface, it is necessary to accurately form the shape and the size of each of the housing and the terminals, and it is necessary to arrange the terminals at accurate positions relative to the housing. In other words, the coming-off prevention mechanism of each of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 might malfunction because of manufacturing variation.